Mexican food is one of the most popular types of cuisine in America and is slowly catching up in all other parts of the world as well. As the name suggests, this cuisine originated in Mexico. It is popular for its intense and varied flavors, attractive garnishing and varied spices. This has added to the popularity of the cuisine. Moreover, it is not necessary for you to go to a restaurant to enjoy Mexican delicacies. You can very easily make or cook Mexican food at home. However, to create an authentic Mexican dish, you need to explore and search for some basic ingredients. Although, today, most of the ingredients are locally available in any supermarket or departmental store, you may sometimes need to visit a Mexican grocer or even order the ingredients online. For instance, some herbs that are used to prepare a traditional Mexican dish include cilantro, epazote, dried chilies and annatto. Also, many Mexican recipes employ the use of banana leaves, pumpkin seeds, chayote, and cactus. While the ingredients might be a bit difficult to find, they do make the dishes quite unique and interesting. Do you want to know how to make Mexican food? Read the tips given in the lines below and enjoy the mouth watering dishes or grab applause by serving them to others.
How to Cook Mexican Food
- Find a good source that will provide you valuable information regarding the preparation of Mexican food.
- Make your own seasonings and sauces rather than buying from the market. This will increase the flavor and aroma of the food.
- Authentic and traditional Mexican recipes make use of mortar and pestle for grinding and blending the spices, as it is believed that making your own spice paste will impart the dish with a fresh flavor. So, it is preferred over relying on the packaged spice mixtures.
- The common forms of cooking used by Mexicans are grilling, broiling and steaming. Also, they use heavy cast iron frying pans to cook and fry the ingredients, as cast iron has an ability to retain heat.
- Since Mexican food is not heavily spiced or piquant, it is advisable to use spices wisely. However, chilies are a common ingredient, which may be put in raw, smoked or dried. They are seldom used in their powdered form though.
- Do not use canned beans or any canned food for that matter. For adding some flavor, you can cook dried beans into the cooking liquid. With beans, you can safely include sautéed onions and garlic, bay, Mexican oregano and different forms of fresh and cured pork.
- Make rice and corn tortillas. They consist of three ingredients and can be cooked in a dry skillet.
- Mexican food is mostly baked, rather than fried.
- Use fat free or low fat products, which will make the food healthy.
- Use lots of vegetables, which will not only add to the nutritional value of the food, but will also make it appear delicious. This is the reason why Mexican food is said to be high on nutritional content.